Ferrari, Charles Leclerc has hope for 2026
Charles Leclerc was the first driver to hit the track for Ferrari on the second day of testing at Montmeló in Barcelona. Despite heavy rain, the Monegasque managed to complete more than 50 laps in the new SF-26 before handing over the wheel to Lewis Hamilton. “Getting back in the car was good – he told official F1 channels -, even more so in a car that is very different from the ones we’ve driven so far. For the moment it is just a matter of trying to see if everything is working properly and indeed it is”.
“The conditions were not the best because it rained a little bit, but we completed all the planned program because we are not focusing on performance – added Charles, the only driver on the track in the morning, along with Max Verstappen (Red Bull) -. The focus is on analyzing all the new systems in this single-seater, to see if everything works as it should. And it did, so it is positive”.
“We did a preliminary check of the car and it went well, little by little we will go through all the systems, until we get to what matters most, which is performance. But I think we will do that a little bit later in these three days” Leclerc explained. The tests, will end, in fact, on Friday, January 30, then two more sessions will follow in Bahrain: the first from February 11 to 13, the second from February 18 to 20.
“I am very excited and curious to see what our opponents have in store and, when we push, to find out where we will be compared to others. This year will be a great opportunity for each team to do something different, and I hope we will be the ones who can make a difference. We will push hard to bring Ferrari back to the top. It has been several years since the last time and I hope this can be our year” Leclerc concluded.
Landing in F1 back in 2018 (driving for Sauber), Charles Leclerc switched to Ferrari the following year with the certainty that he could fight for the World Championship. In reality, in his seven years with the Cavallino, he has seen others (Max Verstappen in particular) celebrate, without ever having the right single-seater to aspire to anything prestigious. His statistics do not lie: he has participated in 173 GPs and won “only” eight. Too little for someone with his talent.
